The Incident at the Forge
disclaimer: I own nothing but the idea.
It had started out as just another day on Berk. Hiccup had awoken early, sorting some paper work out, then headed out for a quick ride on Toothless before going to do his regular duties of the day. He sorted a dispute between Gustav and Snotlout over a dragon egg, married the Yarson's girl to the Lederson's boy and found a little girl's helmet that she had misplaced, before grabbing a quick bite at the great hall.
After breakfast, Hiccup headed down to the forge to help Gobber build some saddles. Hiccup remained focussed for most of the time, occasionally pausing to listen to one of Gobber's many stories.
Unfortunately, as time continued, the allure of the stories pulled Hiccup's focus from the nail holes he was hammering into the saddles.
Suddenly, a loud cracking noise, followed by a surging pain in Hiccup's hand brought him out of his thoughts. Hiccup looked down, realized he had hit his hand with the hammer and did his best to stifle a scream.
Gobber, who heard the crack, turned and saw Hiccup gripping his hand as a few tears started forming in his eyes.
"Hiccup?" Gobber hobbled closer to his former apprentice, "What happened?"
"Nothing," Hiccup said, sobs threatening to break his voice, "Everything's... Fine."
Gobber took no notice of Hiccup's words and put an arm around his shoulder, leading him to the back room of the forge, grabbing some gauze and herbs as he did. He quickly took the gauze and started wrapping Hiccup's crushes hand, wincing at every pained hiss and stifled scream.
"Hey, Hiccup," Gobber finished wrapping Hiccup's hand and wrapped his own good arm around Hiccup's shoulders, "It's okay. It'll be okay."
"No, it's not," Hiccup wiped the tears from his eyes with his good hand, "I'm supposed to be a Viking. Chief of Berk... And I'm crying because of a stupid broken arm."
"Hiccup," Gobber tried to help his former apprentice calm down, "It's okay to cry."
"No! It's not!" Hiccup allowed his fresh tears to stream down his cheeks, "Vikings don't cry. Especially a chief. I'm a disgrace to the Haddock family, to my father."
"Now stop right there," Gobber demanded, "Hiccup, when I lost my hand, what do you think I did?"
"Sucked it up and moved on with life," Hiccup gave his own belief of what he thought Gobber did.
"No," Gobber patted his back, "I cried."
Hiccup looked at his former teacher in disbelief, tears still staining his face and bloodshot eyes, "What?"
"I cried," Gobber repeated, "for six months, in total."
Hiccup looked flabbergasted. He'd never guess a viking like Gobber would ever shed a tear, let alone cry for six months. Even he, hadn't cried that much when he'd lost his leg.
"Why?" Hiccup asked.
"Many things," Gobber continued, "Disbelief, ghost limb, grief, self-pity, anger towards the dragons, anger towards myself, but I recovered."
"How?" Hiccup asked, wiping his nose on a simple rag.
"I looked to the positives of life," Gobber poured the herbs into a bowl and started grinding them down, "Stuff like, half off gloves, interchangeable weapons and the friends, family that I had around me, like your mom and dad."
Hiccup couldn't help but grin at how Gobber's face lit up at the mention of his dad. He had been such an influential person. If only he could be a tenth the man his father had been.
"And then, you came along," Gobber grinned at Hiccup, "And that was when I finally got out of that depression."
"I... Helped you get over the loss of your arm?" Hiccup asked, dumbfounded, "Me?"
"Of course," Gobver smiled lovingly, "That day, I felt like I was a father, in ways. You are the closest thing to a son I've ever had."
"And, you've always been there for me, like a father," Hiccup smiled at Gobber, hugging his old mentor around the waist in gratitude.
While unexpected, Gobber more than welcomed the hug, feeling that Hiccup needed someone to hug in this time. After a few seconds, Hiccup broke the hug and smiled at Gobber in appreciation.
Gobber smiled back at Hiccup, patting him on the back and turning back to the herbs. He finished grinding down the herbs and mixed them with some hot water before pouring the now tinted liquid into a mug and giving it to Hiccup to help heal the hand quicker. He then proceeded to grab a sling and tie it around Hiccup's shoulder and neck, allowing the arm to rest in it.
"Okay, kiddo," Gobber smiled, "just finish off that drink and I'll take you home to get some rest.
Hiccup smiled back and nodded, finished the drink, and stood up, ready to leave. Gobber wrapped an arm around the young chief's back and lead him from the forge up the hill to his house, making sure no one saw Hiccup in this fragile state. He didn't want Hiccup to be any more embarrassed than he already was.
Once inside, Gobber wrote out a little note to Valka, who was out at the moment, explaining what had happened and that Hiccup would be resting in his room. He then lead Hiccup upstairs and helped him into bed. Already, Hiccup's bloodshot eyes were starting to grow heavy and the lids fluttered, struggling to stay open.
"It's okay, Hiccup," Gobber reassured him as he pulled the blanket over his body, "You're home now. You can rest."
Hiccup nodded half-consciously, "Rest does sound good."
"Well, enjoy it," Gobber smiled, "I'll see you tomorrow."
"Gobber?" Hiccup called to him as he was about to leave.
"Yeah, Hiccup?" Gobber asked back.
"Thank you for everything," Hiccup replied, "See you tomorrow."
"Sleep tight," Gobber smiled and took one last glance at Hiccup before quietly closing the door.